Who Should Be Manchester United’s Next Captain?

After Nemanja Vidic signed a contract with Inter Milan during a dreadful campaign at Old Trafford, questions have been asked over who should replace him as captain of United. Being the captain of Manchester United is a very important job and requires a lot of responsibility from the leader. In this article, we discuss some potential candidates for the captaincy role for when Vidic parts with the club.

Phil Jones

Phil Jones is definitely a great long term choice for the captaincy role at United. He has been tipped by Sir Alex Ferguson to be ‘ The greatest Manchester United player ever.’ Not only this, he’s also been backed to lead the England national side in the years to come. For Phil Jones to become a real candidate for the vacancy, in terms if the near future, he must be a regular in the starting line-up and cement his position at centre-back.

Darren Fletcher

Without a doubt, Fletcher certainly has all of the required attributes to be a great captain for us. He currently leads out the Scotland national team, so he already has plenty of experience as a captain. He has been very vocal since his recovery, during our recent struggles, blaming the poor season form on the players and not the manager. This shows that Darren certainly isn’t afraid to speak up. As well as this, he also has been a regular in the first team since he successfully battled ulcerative colitis; this means that we should have a consistent leader on the pitch, unless Marouane Fellaini lives up to his name in a red shirt.

David De Gea

Since De Gea’s shaky start at United, he has developed and established himself as a world class goalkeeper, becoming pivotal in United’s recent successes. He has grown significantly in terms of confidence, meaning he has become a lot more vocal on and off the pitch. At only 23, he still has plenty of time to blossom and get even better as a goalkeeper. David has had experience in the captaincy role, at the ridiculously good Spanish under-21 national team. If De Gea was to take on the role of the captain, he would replicate what Peter Schmeichel did years ago, in wearing the captains armband and playing between the sticks at the same time for United.

Jonny Evans

Jonny Evans has grown into a brilliant and more importantly consistent defender for us in the last couple of seasons. He has mostly been partnered with Ferdinand and Vidic, meaning he would’ve gained skill from playing alongside with them both; it’s amazing to think that he could be doing the same with Phil Jones and Chris Smalling. Evans certainly has some mental stability, after he overcame some rough patches whilst at United during his younger years. At 26 years of age, he’d be leading the United side at the leak of his career.

Wayne Rooney

One of the few good things about Moyes’ reign at United, was the revival of Wayne Rooney. Rooney has recently signed a new long-term deal, meaning that he will be here in the years to come. As Rooney has committed his future to United, there are no doubts over whether Rooney wants to stay or not, meaning that he could become captain for us in the summer. At 28 years old, Wayne will lead us in the prime of his career, with at least another another 5 years or so of his brilliant goal-scoring at the top level. Although he may not be the most popular choice amongst the fans, after wanting to go to Chelsea and Manchester City, he is certainly settled at United. He also deserves credit for regaining his form this season, after being bombarded by the media in recent times. In my opinion, Wayne Rooney seems like the most obvious candidate for the vacancy.

Robin van Persie

With Louis van Gaal’s arrival at United seeming imminent, Robin van Persie has been backed to be the next captain. He holds a strong relationship with van Gaal, who is the current manager of the Netherlands, van Persie’s national side. People are saying that van Persie has only been at the club for 2 years, and doesn’t seem like a leader. Who knows who will be captain, especially if van Gaal takes over as manager.

Who do you think will be Manchester United’s captain next season? Comment in the section below.

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21 Comments

I would go for Rooney because he is the fighter in the team. He can carry the team on his shoulders. Last term even when things looked bad he was always positive, didn’t complain much in media. But simply did his job the best way he could. Plus I think if he is managed well he can play a full season without injuies.

i yhink it shouldn’t be
Rooney
He’s the one who play for money . who says he will go to man city …… who attack paul scholes and say his idea is nothing for him …..
So I really don’t like to see Rooney as The captain …
Evra him self is a good choice
Carrick and Rvp are next

Every fulltime captain United has ever had, certainly since 1945, has shown one common attribute, loyalty to the club and the cause. Regardless of whether he was a homegrown player or an expensive transfer signing, the captain has been United through and through; a leader on and off the pitch, proud and honoured to play that role. United captains have not called the club “unambitious” by not signing top players and then moaned when a new player comes in and challenges his “top dog” status.

That is why Rooney should not be given the captaincy. Undoubtedly he has been a top player, often United’s best, but he has not shown real commitment to the club in recent times. Twice now he has put a gun to the club’s head, threatening to leave if he didn’t get his way. Twice! Once is bad enough but twice shows total self interest and a mercenary attitude. The first time he said United were not ambitious enough. Fergie sorted him out, but he did get a new paydeal. When he tried it again during Ferguson’s last season, Sir Alex was aware of the game that Rooney and his agent were playing. He was quite happy to unload him and would have done so if he had not retired. Along comes Daisy Moyes who promises Rooney the earth, a new five year contract, three hundred grand a week until he is thirty three, a future club ambassador’s role, to build a team around him, letting him pick his position, and the captaincy! What a reward for a player who refused to go on the pre-season tour, whose agent said they were interested in offers from Chelsea, who sulked and wouldn’t celebrate goals with his team-mates in the early games of the season.

That is not the behaviour of a prospective United captain. I know Rooney is a very good player and he is not alone in having a mercenary approach to his career. I understand that players are ambitious and fair enough but the captaincy of United is a great honour and should not be a payoff or a bargaining tool to buy a player’s loyalty.

Rooney has to be the next captain because he is somebody who have stay for long in utd and he also sign 5 year deal with club. that means he takes the club like his own and also have love to the club.
Rooneyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

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